Crimson Domination
by animalsarepeopletoo
Summary: Izuku hadn't shown up to dinner. Uraraka had a bad feeling in her gut from the start. But, she just didn't expect to find the blood... Blood smeared along the walls. Blood trickled across the ground. It was everywhere and on everything. And it was Izuku's. One-shot. (Whumptober prompt: Bloody hands) (Deku!whump and hints of IzuOcha)


**Whumptober Day 2 Prompt: Bloody Hands (one day late, oops, haha)**

 **Hi, MHA fandom! *waves hand* Nice to join you guys... and I hope you enjoy!**

 **(Warning: descriptions of blood. Not too graphic, but I thought I'd let you know in advance.)**

* * *

It wasn't often Izuku missed dinner.

Sure, sometimes he'd be too tired to come down from his dorm to the kitchen, or he'd decide to munch on something in his room instead. But, still.

It was rare.

That was why, when Izuku never showed up to eat, Uraraka began to worry. When he skipped dinner, he'd usually send her a quick text to let her know he wouldn't be coming. She checked her phone, sweeping a lock of hair behind her ear.

No reply to her question from earlier, which had been asking if he was still coming. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Izuku since classes had ended this afternoon.

 _That's right_ , she thought. _Deku said he needed to run an errand in down after class._ But that had been hours ago. He should've been back by now. So… why wasn't he here?

 _You're being stupid, Ochako. He's probably running late, or forgot to text you he was too tired to come down from his dorm. Just because he's not responding doesn't mean something's wrong._

There was absolutely no reason to why she was worrying so much.

Then… why was she? She felt an unsettlement in her gut that wouldn't stop nagging at her. The U.A. teachers always taught their students to trust their instincts, because they, as heroes in the making, were more in tune to danger than most. Most of time time, their gut feeling was dead on.

Her gut feeling was that something was wrong. That she should go check his dorm to make sure everything was alright.

And after all… it'd just be a quick little check-in… Uraraka'd just jump in the elevator, ride up to his floor, and see if he was in his room. That was it. No big deal, just a friend stopping by to say hello.

Nothing else. No big deal.

She left her phone on the table downstairs (as dinner was coming to an end and her rowdy classmates that remained _probably_ wouldn't mess with it), and came out of the kitchen and to the elevator. After pressing the button, it only took a moment for it to reach ground floor, and she soon stepped inside. The doors closed.

"This is stupid," she said to herself as the elevator went up. She could hardly believe why she was doing this. "He's fine. I'm being stupid."

The elevator continued to rise.

"Nothing's wrong," she repeated. "I'll just be checking in on a friend."

Her gut squirmed, and she remembered what her teachers always said. If she felt this way… was Izuku in danger? Or was it just her mind tricking her to believe something wasn't quite right?

Gosh. She really hoped nothing was wrong.

 _Ding!_ The elevator reached Izuku's floor. Uraraka hesitated when the doors opened. Should she go back? Maybe she should just forget about this whole thing and go back downstairs… pretend she felt nothing wrong… it wasn't too late.

 _But, what if something_ is _wrong?_

Agh. Either way, she was going to feel dumb.

Making up her mind, she stepped out of the elevator, just before the doors closed and it dropped back down to the first level.

Well. She was doing this, then.

Aaaanndddd she still felt like an idiot. A big, stupid idiot, who, by the way, did not " _like_ " Izuku Midoriya, and that was _not_ the reason she was going to see-

She stepped in a puddle of something sticky and wet.

Surprised, she looked down. She expected the puddle to be of water, but she felt panic rise in her throat as she found that it was _not_.

It was blood. A small, fresh pool of blood.

A chill ran across her body.

The blood stained the carpet, soaking into the innermost fibers and spreading out its crimson domination all over the floor. Uraraka wanted to throw up as she realized that it was still fresh - it was not yet brown, but getting there. It had to be less than an hour old.

Someone was hurt. And recently.

"Oh my gosh…" A thought struck her mind, nearly stopping her heart in fear. " _Deku_?"

Could this… be his blood? Just the thought of her friend injured was enough to make her want to scream, but all she could manage was this quivering whisper of a voice. She hated herself for being in too much shock to react.

Her eyes, which had been staring down at her feet as she walked, lifted slowly to look at her other surroundings.

She choked down another scream.

Smeared along the walls and the ground was… blood. Blood trickled across the ground. Blood splattered on both walls - and oh, gosh, even near the ceiling. It was everywhere and on everything. She felt dizzy as the scent overwhelmed her nostrils to the point where it was nauseating. She covered her mouth, once again feeling like she was going to throw up.

 _Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh._ Her chest tightened to the point where she couldn't breathe.

All this blood had to belong to someone.

All her classmates were downstairs. Her teachers had gone home for the evening.

And Izuku was missing. But, here, on his very floor, was signs of an attack. Signs of an injury. Signs of struggle.

 _Please don't let this be him_. _Not him. Not Deku._

As her eyes rolled over the hallway again, sickening images played in her mind of what could've happened.

 _Izuku stumbled down the hall, bleeding heavily in several different spots. He tripped over his own feet, weak from blood loss… leaving a stain on the carpet. He laid there, trembling for a moment, then forced himself to stand again. Determination contorted his face._

Uraraka's heart clenched. But, why? Why would he keep going? Why wouldn't he call for help?

Why hadn't she been there for him?

 _He weakly made his way down the hall. Leaning against a wall as he fought for breath, he panted heavily for a moment. He had gone beyond his limits, but he peeled himself away. A bloody imprint of his side remained._

Maybe the same one Uraraka was now staring at.

 _He limped onwards. Exhausted. Dizzy. But, he was Izuku, and Izuku never seemed to give up._

Her heart went out to the sheer amount of pain he must've been in as he willed himself to go on. Why didn't he stop?

 _Not Deku. Not Deku. It can't be him._

Uraraka tried to hurry down the hall to Izuku's dorm, but she felt like she was walking in quicksand. She was sinking into her own horror, paralyzed by the terrifying sights around her. She couldn't force herself to move any faster than an occasional stumble.

All she could do was look at the blood.

Her eyes trailed up to a spot on the ceiling.

 _SMACK!_ I _zuku's body was thrown into the ceiling by an unseen force._

She stared upwards at the streaks of blood too high for any human to reach without help.

 _He crashed against the top part of the wall, making a strangled scream before he tumbled back down to the ground, but the impact of his body slamming down knocked the breath out of him. He lay there, limp, and too weak to stand._

Someone had been after him, there was no way Izuku would've been able to touch the ceiling - wait. No. _No._ It might've not been Izuku hurt. _It might not be him._

But the signs all pointed to one conclusion… and her gut roared in confirmation that her previous feeling that something was wrong was all too correct.

 _MOVE, OCHAKO!_ she screamed at herself. Staring and visualizing what had happened wouldn't help anything. She had to _move._ Someone was clearly hurt - Izuku or not - and it was her duty to help them. Nodding firmly to herself, she willed her body to break out of her paralysis and start moving again. Her hero training took over her instincts and she proceeded on.

"Deku?" she cried out. " _Anybody_? I know you're hurt. I can help you! Just, please… tell me where you are…!"

Her eyes suddenly caught on Izuku's dorm room as she swept the hallway. The door was flung open, like someone had been in a hurry to get inside.

Izuku was always neat and careful.

He always made sure to his door.

Uraraka's world began to spin. She felt her gut pounding at her, drilling the inevitable truth into her mind. There was no mistaking it.

Someone was in there. _Izuku was in there._

" _DEKU!_ "

All she could do was put one foot in front of the other while she panicked over Izuku. Her head exploded in fear of what she might find inside his room. Each step brought her closer. Closer to his dorm. Closer to the truth… however difficult it might be.

The wall right next to his door had a single, bloody handprint smeared on it. This was almost more petrifying than the other spots of blood in the hall. Because this… was Izuku's handprint. She could feel it. _This blood is his._

Another nauseating image jumped into her mind.

 _Izuku had to grab at the wall beside him to keep from falling. He pressed against it, bending over in pain as he searched for breath. But he was so close… he had to keep going. No matter how much pain he was in. He at last made it away from the wall, not realizing the thick, crimson handprint he left._

 _He staggered inside._

Uraraka followed.

But, she didn't get very far. Taken aback at what she saw, she had to once again stop as she took in the devastation that had once been Izuku's room.

What… what had happened?

His bed was flipped over. Clothes from his closet were thrown across the room. His desk dumped on its side, littering its contents all over the ground. Everything All Might related was completely destroyed. It looked as if a tornado had somehow gotten inside the building and chose to only destroy Izuku's room, knocking over anything in its path without second thought.

Except that wasn't possible. A person had done this. A person had done this to her best friend's room.

 _Oh my gosh_.

Her eyes wandered across the room, and even though she thought she couldn't feel any worse, she somehow managed to.

This was _Izuku's_ room. _His._ No one got to touch it except for him. Whoever had done this… was going to pay. Uraraka wasn't usually one to be guided by anger, but this was a different story.

Izuku was a different story.

Her gaze fell upon the glass balcony door in his room and she gasped. It was shattered, a gaping hole letting in the evening air. Only a few shards of glass on the edges of it remained around the edges. Had someone _jumped_ through there?

And then she looked down.

Her heart, which had been pumping wildly to keep up with her panicked breathing, seemed to stop.

 _Deku._

He lay beneath the balcony in a limp, crumpled heap. He was still, as far as she could see. Eerily stil. She hadn't been able to see him when she first came in because of the flipped bed, but as she stepped closer, she could see _everything_ …

Blood-soaked clothing.

Oozing gashes slashed across his bare skin, like someone had sliced him him with knife in a hundred different places.

A slackened face. Unmoving. Expressionless.

"DEKU!"

 _Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh._ She nearly screamed as she stumbled forward, her one mission to get to his side. Was he unconscious? Dying? Dead? Emotions ripped at her. How in the world had he ended up like this? How had no one noticed he was up here? Surely, he'd made some noise… but no one had been listening. How long had he been here, looking like this?!

Uraraka fell to her knees when she reached him, but was careful to avoid the shards of glass scattered around them. She took his bloody face in her shaking hands, hoping to see some sort of life - a smile, a breath, a groan. But he didn't move. Didn't even react to her touch.

"Deku? _Deku!_ Are you okay?!"

No response. It was a stupid question to ask, though - he was obviously _not_ okay. She felt a sob build up in her throat as she stared down at his battered body. A few tears ran down her cheeks. "D-Deku, please wake up… _please_. I- I can't… I need you to…"

He suddenly gave an unexpected cough, and though it was weak and heavy with exhaustion, her bowed head jerked upwards in hope he had awoken.

" _Deku?!_ "

There was a moment of painful soundlessness in which he was silent. Uraraka held her breath, listening in for the slightest noise.

"Ur… Ur…"

She could've kissed him right then, eyes tearing up in relief. He was trying to say her _name_. He was alive! "Yes, it's me, Deku! I'm here… I'm right here…" She let her hands fall from his face, and took one of his abused hands in hers instead. She wanted to let him know he was safe. That he could rely on her to be here through his pain.

"Ummm… umph…" His eyes slowly opened, blinking heavily a few times before returning to some sort of consciousness. Uraraka could tell he was in discomfort from how tense he was, yet he did not complain. "Uraraka."

She smiled tearfully. "Deku. I'm… I'm so glad you're okay. I was… so worried."

Concerned pooled in his eyes. "Why?"

"Because… because you wouldn't wake up! I was afraid that you… you…"

He looked alarmed. "You thought… I was dead? O-oh…" His voice sounded strained, like it was hurting to talk. Uraraka fretted over what had happened to him. "I'm… well… just kind of tired. Kind of light-headed. You don't… have to worry about… me…" He let out an unwilling grimace when he tried to shift his body. "Sorry. I don't think… I can move just yet."

Her grasp on his hand tightened. "You just woke up from _unconsciousness_ , Deku! I don't expect you to be moving at all. Just take it easy, okay? I don't want you hurting yourself even more."

"I…" He hesitated. "Okay."

"There's cuts… all _over_ your body. How… Deku… who _did_ this do you?!" A fury roared in her, so overwhelming that Izuku had to wince again to let her know she was gripping him too hard. She immediately loosened her hand.

"A villain… I think he got away…"

Uraraka's brow furrowed. How had a villain gotten to him inside of the U.A.? She wanted to ask a million questions, but her utmost concern right now was his injuries. They looked awful, and excruciating to bear, as there were so many of them slicing up and down his body. He needed help; and _fast._

She reached for her pocket to grab her phone and call for help, but was horrified when she remembered she'd left it downstairs. Izuku didn't look like he had his phone on him either - he would've called if he was in trouble. She quickly realized that meant there was no way to get Izuku to an ambulance unless she left him here to go downstairs for help.

But there was no way she was leaving him in this state. _No way._ And if she and her classmates downstairs hadn't heard him up here earlier _screaming_ (because he would've. Losing all that blood had to be incredibly painful, he must've made at least _one_ noise), then there wasn't a chance they'd hear her yelling down at them. She'd just have to make do for now, then, and bring Izuku to more professional help as soon as he was able to be moved. That was all she could do.

"Don't say yes if you can't, but do you think you're able you sit up? I should really try and stop your bleeding… How much pain are you in?"

He shifted his neck a little, then stopped, obviously in pain. "Umm… maybe if you… help me. I know I must look… pretty terrible right now… but, I really don't feel… that bad."

Uraraka nearly shook her head. _Oh, Deku._ Would he ever just _look_ at himself for once and see the damage done to his body? Would he even care? She wasn't sure. He got hurt so much sometimes, and didn't even register how bad it was; his first priority was others… last, himself.

She gently helped him up from the floor to a sitting position against the wall. He closed his eyes for a moment, clearly trying to hide the tears brought to his eyes from the pain he had been forced to go through.

"Deku…?"

"I'm... okay. Just need… a minute."

She waited patiently, allowing him to take as much time as he needed. It wasn't long before he opened his eyes again.

"Deku, um… I don't want to rush you, but I should really get you to a hospital as soon as possible. Or.. at least Recovery Girl. I saw the hallway… you've lost a _lot_ of blood."

"I… know. I just…" He moaned again when he tried to move. "I can't move. Not yet. I'm… sorry."

Uraraka considered using her quirk to lift him out of the room, but she was afraid flying through the air would jostle him too much. It'd be safer to just wait, for now. "It's okay! I understand. I'll just bandage you up in the meantime, until you're ready."

"Okay." He seemed to be doing a little better since he sat up. Well, at the very least, he wasn't having to catch his breath as much. He was clearer; stronger. Though still in a tender state, Uraraka was comforted by the knowledge he could hold out for a little while longer.

Now, she had to get to cleaning his wounds. She looked around his room for something she could use for a sterilizer, and was relieved to see a mostly-full water bottle only a few feet away. Thank goodness - she could use it to clean out his cuts before bandaging them. She left Izuku's side for a few seconds, grabbed the bottle, then returned.

She focused on his right arm first, and gently rolled up his sleeve to see the damage. She sucked in a breath when she saw how bad it looked - at least a dozen or more cuts were scratched deep into his skin. Izuku winced when her fingers brushed over them, meaning they hurt a lot more than he was letting on.

"Deku. How… how did this all this _happen_ to you? I know it was a villain, but… he could've have gotten you this bad in so little time…" Honestly, she wasn't sure if she even wanted to find out, but she just had to know : how had a powerful, brave, intelligent hero like him been harmed so badly? Why hadn't he been able to get away?

Izuku swallowed. "Well… it's a long story…"

"If you're not feeling well enough to move for a while, go for it. It's going to take awhile to bandage you up, anyway. Speaking of which…" She slid off her thin jacket, and tore it into several pieces, planning to use them as bandages. She'd done this _way_ too many times. "Just don't strain yourself, okay?"

"Er… okay. It happened after my errand. I finished it up… maybe an hour ago? I was almost back to the U.A… when this guy stopped me…" He winced as Uraraka tightened a bandage around his arm.

"Sorry, too tight?" Her hand lingered on his arm as she waited for a response.

Izuku noticeably blushed. "No, it's fine."

Uraraka realized why he was flushing and quickly pulled away, her cheeks burning brighter than his. She hadn't meant to be that _close..._! After a moment of awkwardness, she moved onto his other arm. Izuku continued to talk.

"I thought… he was your run-of-the-mill pickpocketer, you know? But… knew me by name. He seemed… different than most villains. I don't know. But, um… soon, he made a move on me… I dodged. But…" He looked down at his lacerations.

"...He hurt you. He… cut you. In all these places."

Izuku gave a small, tired sigh. "Not… exactly. I didn't really expect… what his quirk could do. I thought he was someone who relied… on brute force. But, no… he had some sort of psychic ability. He could… move things inside you… Organs, blood, air… as if… as if they were objects."

Uraraka caught his expression darken.

"He did something inside me… so that I felt really dizzy… and I fell down. I think he shifted my ear… fluids. He kept me disoriented and I couldn't… get up. I tried to use my quirk, but it was like… I didn't have any control. I couldn't do focus enough… to do anything."

He sounded so defeated, Uraraka wanted to give him a hug. "He sounds like a tough guy to face, Deku! I don't think even All Might would've been able to recover so quickly."

Izuku perked up a little at her reassurance. "Maybe… All Might's amazing, though, I'm sure he'd have been able to escape."

Uraraka finished tying the bandage on his left arm, making sure to be more gentle than before. "Is there a place you're hurting more in particular that I can try and bandage?" Darn it, she should've asked him that in the first place.

"Um… my left side kind of hurts. It's okay if you don't have time… to dress it, though. I know we have to hurry… to the hospital."

Not have _time_? She would _always_ had time for Izuku! She wasn't going to drag him off anywhere until he was in better shape, anyways. His comfort came first.

Her heartbeat faltered as she reached for the side of Izuku's shirt to lift it up. This spot was where the blood was heaviest, a sure sign that was a nasty wound. She wasn't looking forward to seeing what was underneath, but lifted the fabric away, knowing she had to examine the injury.

She gasped at what she saw. An thick, red gash sliced open his skin, traveling from his rib cage to his hip.

"Deku," she said, in a voice like ice. "How… did _this_ happen?"

This must've been the cause of his uneven breathing - each time he struggled for breath, he would've felt the sharp burn of his injury gnawing at him. She nearly shook with anger. That villain… was _dead_.

"...right, I forgot to tell you. Um… his quirk also made him able to cut people from - from the inside… that's why I have all these cuts."

Uraraka had only seen the slashes on his arms and now his side. There was a staggering amount of them. If there was already dozens on those parts… how many more did he have on his body?

"So… he cut you all over while you were lying there. Defenseless."

That was _low._ Even for a villain.

Izuku shook his head. "He only hurt my side at first… and then one of my legs to keep me from walking. Then he knocked me out… and left."

"Then, how are you…?"

"I woke up after a minute and I followed him."

She made a disapproving expression. Of _course_ he did. That was exactly the kind of stupid thing he would do, going after a villain even after being beat up. "Why, Deku? It wasn't your responsibility to-"

"Yes, it was." The fire Izuku got in his eyes when he was talking about helping people was lit. Uraraka closed her mouth. "He was heading toward the U.A. I couldn't let him… get inside."

Oh. So, Izuku had been worried about his classmates, then… forgetting about his entire well-being just so he could protect them all. Even though he was hurt… he kept going.

 _Deku._

"He acted like it'd been his plan all along," he said. "I don't know… how he knew where I was, or what he was after. But something was… definitely strange."

"So, you went after him."

She wanted to chide him for putting himself in danger, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. That was just the kind of person Izuku was, and nothing could ever change the drive in him to help people. She smiled softly. And that was why she lov-

 _Wait, what? No. No, no, no, no. I don't… I don't like Deku in that way!_

Thankfully, Izuku was too busy with his story to notice her beet red face.

"Yeah. I think I was only out for… a minute, because I saw the villain sneak through the gates… a little after I got up. I went inside… to look for him. I was going to call you guys for help, but he'd… smashed my phone while I was out. He headed… straight for Heights Alliance, and I wasn't sure if you guys… were in there or not, so I chased after him as fast as I - _AGH_!"

As Uraraka splashed a bit of water to try and clean his injured side, Izuku cried out in pain. She froze, feeling horrible knowing that she was the cause of his grimacing face.

"I'm so sorry, Deku," she apologized. "I don't want to hurt you… but… I need to clean the wound before I bandage it."

Though still gasping to himself, he was somehow able to offer her a comforting smile. "No… I'm… I'm fine. Really. Don't worry… about me, okay?"

"That's kind of a stupid thing to say, you know."

"Heh… maybe it is."

"...Deku? I'm going to bind your side now. Are you ready? Or should I wait-?"

"No." He winced, but the determination in his face was unflinching. "Do it. I'll be fine."

Uraraka hesitated, but knew that his side was hurt the worst off and needed immediate care. This was the main source of all the blood he'd produced - she could see that now. "On three?"

"Okay. One?"

"Two…"

"Three!" they said together.

As slightly as she could, she began to tie the piece of fabric around his injury, moving fast. She felt him tense, but he seemed to refuse to let out a scream. Uraraka almost wished he would - she didn't want him to have to hold in his pain. It just wasn't right, after everything he'd just been through…

She looked up and saw that his eyes were squeezed shut in pain. " _Deku_?! Deku, are you alright?"

A moment passed, and she waited with only worry as her companion. At last, he opened his eyes again. Uraraka was so relieved to see those emerald orbs look at her again. "I'm okay… thanks. It hurts… but I know it'll help. I'll be ready to move… pretty soon…."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to force yourself…"

This was tough. In order to get him better long-term, the smart choice was to take him to help as quickly as possible. But that would be ignoring his short-term state… ignoring the pain he was in right _now_. She wasn't sure what to do.

"I'm sure." He swallowed, and it was only then Uraraka saw a few beads of sweat gathered on his face begin to trickle, mingling with the blood from the couple of gashes on his face.

She poured a little of the water bottle she'd been using to clean his wounds on one of her last pieces of fabric. "Are you okay if I clean up your face? I don't have anything to stick the bandages to you, but I should try and wipe away the blood."

He slightly pinkened. "Um… sure, I guess."

Uraraka leaned over and carefully began to wipe down his face, using gentle hands as she swiped away the blood and grime. There was an awkward silence between them before Izuku finally tried to break the uncomfortableness of being in such close contact.

"So… the villain got in Heights Alliance. I was too slow to get to him in time-"

 _Because you were_ injured _, Deku!_ she wanted to yell.

"-but I managed to get inside the elevator… he was going on before he got away. We fought inside the elevator, and I got a punch in before… he, uh… started to cut me again… but then, the doors opened. He got out, and he just… left me lying in there, like before. Like… he didn't care about me or what I could do. But he did seem interested… in the floor we were on."

"Your floor," Uraraka said, gingerly cleaning his brow now. His forehead had a few painful-looking cuts.

"Yeah. He headed towards my room… we fought some more, but he did the head thing again and I was too dizzy to last too long…"

"He threw you against the ceiling, didn't he?" she blurted out, jaw taut. He gave her a look of surprise. "I… I saw the blood marks."

He squinted. "Oh. I didn't… realize I left such a mess."

A flash of the hallway's contents crossed her mind. She fought back nausea.

"It's awful out there… when I saw all the blood, I-" She stopped herself, not wanting to relive the fresh horror she'd only just seen. She didn't want to think back on the smears and dots of blood covering the long hallway. She didn't want to imagine the suffering he must've gone through. She didn't want to see that lone, bloody handprint outside his door ever again.

"What happened in _here_? The glass door to the balcony… it's broken."

Izuku looked back at its remains. Uraraka was pleased to see he didn't seem to be hurting as much when he moved his head - that was a start. Maybe he would be ready to be moved soon.

"The villain got inside my room… he was looking for something. That's how all of this got trashed. I think… he was looking for something about All Might. Maybe because, I umm… have a few posters of him… he thought we were connected." _A few?_ Uraraka thought incredulously. Izuku was his number one fanboy! "The villain was mentioning something… about All Might's quirk. A-anyways… he was distracted. I got my bearings, and I used my quirk… to push him out the balcony."

Uraraka frowned sympathetically. "That must've been really hard to do, Deku. Just thinking about how much blood you'd lost… you must've been about to collapse." And yet he soldiered on. Like a true hero.

Izuku was _amazing_.

"You're not far off," he admitted. "After I pushed him… my adrenaline rush slowed. I started to feel everything at once. I guess… I must've passed out. The next thing I remember is you… waking me up." He paused, allowing Uraraka to take a moment to process the entire story.

"I'm… I'm so sorry you had to go through all this alone," she said. "I should've been there for you." Instead, while he'd been most likely been pinned to the floor by a madman, she'd been starting a relaxing dinner.

"It's not your fault! How could you have know?" He looked so alarmed, Uraraka was almost concerned. "None of us expected… this to happen."

"Still… I'm sorry. Maybe I couldn't have been there, but I'm sorry you had to be in all that pain."

He smiled at her. "Thanks… and good news. I think I'm okay to be moved now. Can you, um… help me up?" He seemed a little embarrassed at needing help.

"Of course!" She was relieved Izuku felt better, and was even happier knowing that they'd soon get him to Recovery Girl or the hospital. Though improving, that didn't mean he was fully healed yet.

Uraraka slowly guided him to his feet. Thankfully, his legs were, for the most part, unscathed, save for a few ugly cuts on one leg where the villain had hurt him to prevent Izuku from going after him. He was able to limp on one foot, Uraraka filling in as his other half.

When he was up, she let him rest against her her side for as long as he needed, her arm supporting his waist to keep him from falling. His bandaged forearm was propped up on her shoulders. She gave him a minute to catch his breath. His side surely giving him agony as he moved.

"You alright?" she asked, having not heard him talk in awhile.

Izuku's drooping head, though limp and exhausted, managed to be lifted up enough to look at her. He let a smile stretch across his battered face. It wasn't one of those fake smiles people put onto make others feels better… it was a real "Deku" smile that melted Uraraka's heart.

"I'm okay," he said, smile still present on his face. Thought they looked nothing alike, Uraraka could see a resemblance to All Might showing itself right then - both smiling even if they were suffering inside. Was that was what made a hero? Putting others in front of yourself, no matter what pain you were in?

Maybe it was - maybe it wasn't. It was too complex to be sure of. What she did know was the Izuku was brave… so brave. And he wasn't going to be succumbing to any injury anytime soon.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **To clarify about the villain dude... he connected Izuku's quirk to being really similar to All Might's, so he decided to check his dorm out to see if he'd find anything out about the similarity of their quirks. Sorry if I made that confusing :D Thanks for reading!**


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